French Navy Aquitaine class Frigate paid a visit last month to the Big Apple, having spent 3 days in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The frigate was busy conducting missions off the coast of New York City, showing off its capabilities ranging from anti-submarine warfare, air defence, escort duties to naval gunfire support.
Upon leaving New York, the frigate proceeded to Canadian Forces Base Halifax where it hosted Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay who toured the ship. DCNS is offering the FREMM Class frigate to Canada as a choice for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program, a part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS), under which Irving Shipbuilding will be in charge of building the vessels.
The following video brings you a taste of Aquitane’s operations at sea, facing Manhattan skyline:
DCNS’s FREMM is a front-line warship that can respond to all kinds of threats, whether from land, sea, or air. Acting alone, a FREMM can assume a multitude of missions, from escort duties to naval gunfire support. As part of a joint task force, a FREMM can accommodate a fleet operations staff and, with an excellent C4ISR capability, can direct warfare in one or several spheres.
With 12 frigates already on order, DCNS has the largest naval programme underway in Europe. The Royal Moroccan Navy is the first FREMM export customer.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, May 20, 2013; Image: DCNS